Sticks and Stones

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I can barely manage the questioning looks the girls give me sometimes, so I cannot even begin to fathom what it would be like to be a public figure subject to international, round-the-clock scrutiny. And let’s be honest, public scrutiny grows ever closer to a modern day witch hunt. Should political figures be questioned about their morality? I’m not sure, maybe if they shove one persona down our throats they should be called out if they’re being dishonest. Infidelity? Sketchy financial dealings? Disappointing, but I just don’t know where the line is. A place I feel vastly more comfortable standing up and growing my throat clearing into a defiant,“Hell no” yell is the heaping amounts of criticism, speculation and ridicule waged on women.

The pressure can begin for little girls with padding in bikini tops, being told they can’t be Batman and being “brave” for doing it anyway, it continues through high school and college as as we look at magazines intended for us, which seem to perpetuate the idea that we should be pursuing eligibility for a Maxim hot list, even though most of those women are photoshopped.Then as we hit our 30s we’re criticized for trying to look too young, for looking too old, for not being sexual enough, for being too sexual. Our 40s? I’ll tell you in about 16 months.

I could rant and rant, or I could direct you to Ashley Judd’s brilliant response to the unrelenting speculation on her appearance. She didn’t have to do this, in fact this stuff doesn’t deserve more ink, but because she started this conversation, I really think we should keep it going. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life trying to look 22 all the while apologizing that I don’t.

It’s crap. Let’s throw their stick and stones back to them and say we aren’t willing to play.